{"id":93056,"date":"2026-01-12T19:24:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=93056"},"modified":"2026-01-12T19:25:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:25:19","slug":"vitalik-buterin-proposes-self-sustaining-ethereum-concept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/vitalik-buterin-proposes-self-sustaining-ethereum-concept\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitalik Buterin Proposes Self-Sustaining Ethereum Concept"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a set of technical requirements aimed at enabling the blockchain to maintain long-term sustainability without continuous developer involvement.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ethereum itself must pass the walkaway test.<\/p>\n<p>Ethereum is meant to be a home for trustless and trust-minimized applications, whether in finance, governance or elsewhere. It must support applications that are more like tools \u2014 the hammer that once you buy it&#8217;s yours \u2014 than like\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin\/status\/2010621884811845708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to him, the network aims to support applications that do not depend on their providers, who may lose interest. To meet these criteria as a foundational layer, the blockchain itself must pass the &#8220;walkaway test.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;This means Ethereum must reach a state where we can &#8216;ossify&#8217; if we want to. We don&#8217;t need to stop making protocol changes, but we should reach a situation where the blockchain&#8217;s value proposition does not strictly depend on any features that are not yet present,&#8221; Buterin emphasized.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He highlighted the following seven conditions necessary to achieve this goal:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>full quantum resistance of the blockchain, which must be pursued without delay;<\/li>\n<li>a scalable architecture \u2014 primarily through the implementation of <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-zkevm\">zkEVM<\/a> validation and data sampling via PeerDAS;<\/li>\n<li>a network state structure that allows comfortable operation with &#8220;thousands of <span data-descr=\"transactions per second\" class=\"old_tooltip\">TPS<\/span> over decades,&#8221; without disrupting synchronization;<\/li>\n<li>complete <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-account-abstraction\">account abstraction<\/a> and abandonment of standard <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-ecdsa-in-bitcoin\">ECDSA<\/a> signatures;<\/li>\n<li>a gas model resistant to <span data-descr=\"denial of service\" class=\"old_tooltip\">DoS<\/span> attacks both in regular execution and with <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-zero-knowledge-proof\">ZK-proofs<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>a mature staking economy that remains decentralized over time;<\/li>\n<li>a block-building mechanism resistant to centralization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Ideally, we should do a lot of work over the next few years so that in the future almost all possible innovations occur through client-side optimization and are reflected in the protocol by changing parameters,&#8221; Buterin noted.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In this scenario, regular <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-hard-fork\">hard forks<\/a> would be unnecessary \u2014 upgrades would suffice with validator voting, similar to gas limit adjustments, he added.<\/p>\n<p>According to Buterin&#8217;s plan, at least one of these tasks should be implemented annually. A fundamental approach is necessary, rather than short-term compromises, to maximize Ethereum&#8217;s technological and social resilience, he stressed.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in January, Buterin <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/vitalik-buterin-ethereum-is-overcoming-the-scaling-trilemma\">stated<\/a> that the protocol is successfully overcoming the <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-blockchain-trilemma\">blockchain trilemma<\/a> thanks to the development of zkEVM and the launch of PeerDAS. These solutions were key elements of the <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/fusaka-upgrade-what-it-means-for-ethereums-future\">Fusaka<\/a> hard fork, which the Ethereum team <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/fusaka-hard-fork-goes-live-on-ethereum-mainnet\">implemented<\/a> on the mainnet in December.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a set of technical requirements aimed at enabling the blockchain to maintain long-term sustainability without continuous developer involvement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Vitalik Buterin outlines Ethereum's path to self-sustainability.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[25,46,200],"class_list":["post-93056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-blockchain","tag-ethereum","tag-vitalik-buterin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"177","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Vitalik Buterin outlines Ethereum's path to self-sustainability.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93058,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93056\/revisions\/93058"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}